31 Jul /10

Legal translation: requirements and issues

Legal translation
Legal translation: requirements and issues

Legal translation is the translation of texts within the field of law.

Globalisation and the increase in international business relations and political and economic integration, which led to integration between legal systems, made the demand for legal translations higher than ever.

Successful legal translation must meet the following requirements:

    • Accuracy and attention to detail;
    • Knowledge of the legal systems, both of the source and target languages;
    • Familiarity with the relevant legal terminology;
    • Confidentiality;
    • Timely delivery of your translated documents.

Accuracy of a legal document translation depends largely on word selection and syntax. The formal language contained in a document shall be used in the same order. A slight paraphrase can change the legal meaning of a document. Highest accuracy includes identifying the local language requirements and proofreading documents before delivery.

Accurate legal translations can be delivered only by highly specialised translators who have a comprehensive working knowledge and experience in the legal industry.

A legal translator not only translates from one language into another but also translates from one legal system into another and must understand local culture and have an in depth knowledge of the legal system in place in the country for which the translation is intended.

Legal translation is often more difficult than other types of translation because each system has its own legal terminology.

A good legal translator shall have extensive knowledge of the relevant legal terminology in both the source and target languages and be a specialist in a particular legal area, such as:

  •  International law
  •  Civil law,
  •  Corporate law,
  •  Property law,
  •  Tax and accounting law,
  •  Insurance law,
  •  Patent law and etc.

Since many legal documents contain sensitive data, all law translations are to remain strictly confidential.

Legal translators shall accept confidentiality and security issues very seriously and be able to provide a non-disclosure agreement.

Most legal documents have deadlines in court and are useless after those dates.

All law documents have to be translated and delivered before the deadline. A stringent approach to quality control can ensure the delivery of stylistically consistent translations on time even under the most pressing delivery schedule.

When it comes to legal translation, a translator is required to have an extensive knowledge of law and to understand local cultures and sociological nuances of those cultures in order to convey the message across sufficiently.

Successful legal translations must also meet the requirements of accuracy, confidentiality and punctuality.

Visit our website to read more about our legal translation services.

 

 

 

 


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